Alain Piché, M.D.

Contact informations

Department of Microbiology and InfectiologyFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Université de Sherbrooke3001 12th Avenue North Sherbrooke, Québec J1H 5N4

Academic Qualifications

B.Sc., Biochemistry, Université Laval (1983) M.Sc.

Microbiology, Université de Sherbrooke (1986)

M.D., Université Laval, Québec (1990)

FRCPC – Medical Microbiology (1995)

CSPQ – Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (1995)

Postdoctoral studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA (1998)

Main interests

Regulation of apoptotic pathways in cancer cells

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynecological cancers in Canada because of its propensity to metastasize, insidious progression and rapid development of resistance to chemotherapy. Dr. Piché’s laboratory is interested in the regulation of the apoptotic cascade in ovarian cancer cells, identification of new therapeutic targets and development of an alternative treatment for this lethal form of cancer. His team has already published its work on proteins in the Bcl-2 family and their functions in regulating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in ovarian cancer cells.

Role of the tumor microenvironment in the regulation of the apoptotic cascade

His laboratory has also worked on the cell death receptor pathway and the role of the tumor environment in the regulation of this pathway. His team has developed an in vitro model of acquired resistance to certain cell death receptor ligands to investigate how resistance to these ligands can be developed in ovarian cancer cells. These different studies on cell death receptors could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets to increase the effectiveness of some cytotoxic therapies.

Cellular response to the binding of Clostridium difficile toxin A and toxin B in colonic cells

Clostridium difficileis the main pathogen responsible for hospital-acquired diarrhea. Very little is known about the interactions between the enterotoxins produced by C. difficile and the host cells. Dr. Piché’s laboratory is studying the signaling pathways that are modulated by the enterotoxins.